131 :: Mother's Day - without Mom

I've said it many times, and I really can't say enough what a great family we have. On both sides.

This year, however, it just seemed off to have Mother's Day without Mom in tow. 

Sure, there were plenty of Moms on hand. 

I, for one. 

And as much as we laughed (and ate... and talked... and laughed and ate some more - the usual routine,) I couldn't help feeling that Mom would have been having such fun if she had been there.

She was always about the family gatherings. Maybe because her own first family was always so far away. She was like the mama hen trying to make sure her chicks were always sticking together.

I know what it is. It feels like we've lost our glue.

 Miss you, Edith Mae.

116 :: Highland Games

One of the highlights of my year - every year - is our annual trek to Woodland for the Highland Games and Gatherings. I think we have only missed one in the last 13 years.

There is something for everyone, and trust me - you do not have to be Scottish to have a good time.

Music? They've got it...
Dancing? Everywhere you turn...
Athletic competition? Where do I start?

Then there's the food. The meat pies, the "haggis" (Ok, well really it's fudge)... OK, well really it's Fair Food with a little fish and chips thrown in for flavor!

We've pretty much got it down to a science by now; the ice chest, the folding chairs, the shade umbrellas. We can even make it from the car in one trip!
Parked between the athletic field and the historical reenactor's village...

...and just a stone's throw from the pipes...

The young-uns have been coming since the oldest was 3. It just gets cooler every year.

109 :: Still Life with Friends

Last night, we experienced the most beautiful evening with friends who are dear to us. We shared a very special dinner.

Am I tired? You betcha. (Will I do it again? Ask me next year!)

BUT... What a blessing to have such sweet friends to do life with. It really was a joy.

034:: The End.

Not only was (is) today Monday, but it is what we like to call at work, "That time of the month." The first work day of every month is spent with our heads down, manually reconciling dozens of client accounts that are part of their portfolios, but not a part that we manage. So records must be downloaded from various and sundry websites, with a spreadsheet to keep track of logins and passwords and secret answers, etc. And it HAS to be done on the first day of the month, because sometimes the month end figures are only available this one day. Silly, I know. Nevertheless, it must be done so we can accurately report to our clients what state their portfolio is in.

Needless to say, by the time I get home, I am done. My eyeballs are done. My patience is done. Thankfully, I get a reprieve from cooking dinner because - have I mentioned before? - I have the Best. Husband. In. The. World.

So, my reward to myself tonight was this treat:

Yes, that is a chocolate truffle. And I will admit up front, I had more than one. Followed by a nap. 

And yes, I also did the FLY Lady thing and shined my sink, as well as hung out the laundry... but now, I'm done. 

Goodbye, Monday.

Super Bowl

 What else?

Clearly, everyone had the Super Bowl on their brains today. I could not log on to Facebook without reading play-by-play, groan-by-groan. Finally, I had to log off and get cracking on my taxes. Not quite ready for the CPA, but almost there. And it was a nice, quiet afternoon while Alan was weeping with his friends in the Man Cave.

But the real point of my blog today is to highlight the Super Bowl that we have in our house and use every day. My friend Sherrie is an artist who happens to be blind. Recently, health issues have put a damper on her lifestyle, and she has had to put her art on hold while she is in a rehab hospital. As sorry as I am for that, I am not sorry to be the happy recipient of one of her lovely pieces of art when she had to downsize. This bowl now resides on my entertainment center and keeps my keys in line. 

I am one of those people who constantly mislays things. My glasses. My cell phone. My keys. I cannot even tell you how many key rings I have mislaid. But since watching The Big Bang Theory, I have learned a thing or two about being consistent with having a place to put “things”... and so, my Super Bowl has come to the rescue.

(Thank you, Sherrie. Thank you Sheldon.)

006:: Focus

My talented and insightful cousin-sister challenged me with her blog to come up with one word for 2014. She chose the word "reconciliation", which is an important one for sure. It got me thinking about what word would I chose that would serve as a goal or resolution for this year.

The things that bother her about social media are the same things I take exception to as well. We have discussed it before, and she said it so much better than I ever could, so I won't bother going there when you could so easily read what she has to say and understand us both.

For me, though, I am thinking the word I will choose will be: FOCUS.

I am so prone to losing my focus in so many ways... finishing a craft project, cleaning my house... sure, it's funny to joke about Adult ADD, but it's not funny to live there. I think part of my problem is lack of focus.

When we had the seemingly unsurmountable project of finishing remodeling our house to sell and move to Africa in 2000, I needed a really short leash to keep me on task. I'm thinking if I took the rest of my life as seriously as I did that dagger hanging over my head, I would get so much more accomplished that is meaningful, and the unimportant things that seem to suck the life out of my life would just fall along the wayside.

And I'm not just talking about doing things, but the thought the FOCUS has a lot to do with finding a purpose. Taking aim. Having a goal worth working toward.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to get some perspective. That is what my family is handy for.

005:: Out of focus

Isn't it odd how we look at other people's lives and we see what we see... but we don't see it all.

It makes me wonder what people see when they look at me. I am not an extraordinary person, unless you ask my husband. Yes, maybe I'm a little weirder than some, but I'm sure there are others who look at me and see "conservative", "old", "boring", "judgmental" - yet I am none of those. Well, ok... maybe a little old.

Things aren't always what they seem. And neither are people.

I am struck by the thought that we often give a negative spin to the things in our own lives while painting a rosy, unrealistic picture of what we see in others. The thought occurs to me that I need to stop that.